Oct 27

Sep 29

  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a text contribution The Role of an Apostle in the Body of Christ
    In Ephesians, Paul spends the first half of the epistle explaining how all people are united in Christ (taking a bit of an excursus at 3:2-13), culminating his message of unity at 4:1-6. Then at 4:7, Paul refocuses the discussion a bit, from "unity" to "diversity in unity." He explains that Christ has given each of us a "grace," or "gift" (4:7). Cleverly, Paul then alters the terminology he uses, at verse 11, in which he says, "Christ himself gave… Read more »
  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a text contribution "administration"
    "administration" (v. 2, 9): "oikonomia" in Greek. Many words are used for it in different translations, such as: "administration" or "plan." "Oikonomia" etymologically is "house-law," meaning "house agenda," "household management," or "family administration." It is the word from which comes our word "economy." The idea is "God's overall strategy." The way we see it portrayed context… Read more »

Sep 28

  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a text contribution "holy apostles"
    "holy apostles": "holy" in contrast to the imperial apostles, or emissaries, of the Roman basileia, not "holy" in exaltation above other believers. "Holy" is also indicative of a special, or distinct, purpose. Read more »
  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a link contribution Sins of Sacrilege
    www.thegoodquestion.com/2007/01/sins-of-sacrilege.htm
    ... Did you know that God sees hatred as murder in the heart? It surprised me too, but here is the verse, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15). Jesus said that anyone who is angry with someone without a good reason is in danger of judgment (Matthew 5:21-22 NKJV). I didn't understand this at first, but then one day it made sense... What is the essence of hatred? Hatred is a fundamental disrespect, devaluing, or dishonoring of life—life that only God can give. Lif… Read more »
  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a link contribution Sins of Sacrilege
    www.thegoodquestion.com/2007/01/sins-of-sacrilege.htm
    ... There is another aspect of this. Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.... Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either" (Matthew 25:40, 45 HCSB). If my life is a sentence and everything I do is the verb, then Jesus is the object. In grammar, the object of the sentence receives the action of the verb. So, whatever I do, I do it to Jesus—good or bad. Jesus is the recipient of all our action… Read more »
  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a link contribution Sins of Sacrilege
    www.thegoodquestion.com/2007/01/sins-of-sacrilege.htm
    ... Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.... Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either" (Matthew 25:40, 45 HCSB). If my life is a sentence and everything I do is the verb, then Jesus is the object. In grammar, the object of the sentence receives the action of the verb. So, whatever I do, I do it to Jesus—good or bad. Jesus is the recipient of all our actions. ... Read more »
  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a link contribution Sins of Sacrilege
    www.thegoodquestion.com/2007/01/sins-of-sacrilege.htm
    Sac·ri·lege (n.): blasphemous behavior; the violation or profanation of anything sacred or held sacred. The Third Commandment teaches that we should not take the name of the Lord in vain (Exodus 20:7). That does not just mean that we are prohibited from referring to God irreverently in our speech. If you are a Christian, you are a representative of Christ. You carry the name of Christ inasmuch as you are a Christian. With every action, you are communicating something about Christ. If those actio… Read more »
  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a link contribution My Own Expanded Translation of the Love Poem of 1 Corinthians 13
    www.thegoodquestion.com/2007/06/my-own-expanded-translation-of-love.htm
    4 True love patiently tolerates annoyance and disrespect, never succumbing to shortsighted temper. True love is constructive and kind, always fostering others and contributing good. True love does not boil with jealousy or stew with envy, never leaning to suspicion or lusting for control. True love is not anxious to impress, never bragging or exaggerating its status. True love does not suffer from an inflated ego, never cherishing exalted ideas of its own importance. 5 True love does not ac… Read more »
  • thegoodquestion
    thegoodquestion added a link contribution What Kind of Dictionary Is THAT? (part 2)
    www.thegoodquestion.com/2008/04/what-kind-of-dictionary-is-that-part-2.htm
    ... Upon reading Romans 14, one will discover that Paul is not using the term "faith" in the sense of "saving faith" in this passage at all. He is discussing sins of the conscience and referring to personal convictions. ... Remember that "faith" (pistis) in the New Testament can refer to intellectual belief, moral conviction, reliance, trust, or a system of belief (only with the direct article "the"). Ouk ek pisteos (οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως) is often rendered &quo… Read more »

Aug 1